A BUS driver was double the alcohol limit and had a bottle of whisky in his pocket when stopped by police behind the wheel of a single-decker.

Father-of-three Robert Watkinson had 11 passengers, including four children, on board. He was pulled over after being abusive to a police motorcyclist while in a line of traffic in Moston Lane, Moston, Manchester, city magistrates heard.

He was fined é500 with é50 costs and banned from driving for 16 months. But the sentence has been condemned by road safety campaigners.

A Roadpeace spokesman said: "We are appalled at the leniency of the sentence handed down to someone who put the lives of all his passengers at risk, including a number of children." Watkinson told the court: "I am having problems with drink and finding it difficult to sleep. I haven't let it affect me until now."

The court was told the bottle of whisky was discovered in his pocket when he was taken to a police station after his arrest.

Watkinson, who had been instantly sacked from his job, said "I don't think I will ever drive again." Bench chairman George Webster told him: "You had a massive responsibility for the safety of passengers and you were negligent in that respect."

The Roadpeace spokesman said: "This is an example of how the law treats anything that happens on the roads differently from anything else. A pilot found with any alcohol would be treated more seriously. The law must send out a clear message, but consistently fails to do so."

A Campaign Against Drink Driving spokesman said: "A bus driver who gets on a bus after drinking should never be allowed to drive again."